“It’s just absolutely toxic, and it’s not smart business,” Van de Putte said.

“If you’ve been listening to any of the debate on the Republican side anybody can readily see why momma ain't happy," she added.

The Republican candidates -- Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Sen. Dan Patrick, Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples and Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson -- have been competing for the support of conservative primary voters by touting their strong stances on border security and immigration.

Van de Putte also differentiated her candidacy from that of state Sen. Wendy Davis (D), who is running for governor.

“We’re both on the Democratic ticket, but Wendy is running her campaign," Van de Putte said. "Let’s face it, their campaign has had a tough couple of months. But I did not put my name up to be lieutenant governor because I want to help Wendy.”

She also sought to emphasize that she wasn't running solely on reproductive rights issues.

"If somebody thinks that [the campaign] is just about women's reproductive health or it's just about the disrespect for women, equal pay, that is so very wrong," Van de Putte said. "For me, it's about my grandkids, it's about the type of future we're going to offer them, it's about higher education. So, yes, there are women, and we've heard from them, that are quite upset at the disrespect that some men, and you saw it in the debate last week, where four men are insisting they know what they should do when they're faced with a very personal and difficult decision."

"If that is just what this campaign is about, it's not a winning campaign, because it is so much more," she added.

Governor of Oregon (2015-present)
First openly bisexual governor
<strong>Other offices:</strong>
Oregon Secretary of State from 2009-2015
State Senator from 1997-2009
State House of Representative from 1991-1997